by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello, dear Owners!
October gives Owners plenty of reasons to celebrate: National Co-op Month, Owner Appreciation, Fair Trade Month, and, of course, Halloween!
National Co-op Month
Co-op Month has been celebrated nationwide since 1964, when U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman proclaimed October Co-op Month. Across the country, cooperatives use this time to highlight and celebrate the cooperative business model. All kinds of co-ops sell all kinds of goods and services, from groceries and cab rides to hardware, so you can probably find one to meet your needs.
Owner Appreciation
This month, we’re celebrating you, our Owners. For 52 years, you’ve helped keep the cooperative dream alive by shopping at the Co-op and being part of our community. To thank you, we’re offering 15% off on Wellness Wednesday (instead of the usual 10%) on October 7, October 5–11, you can enjoy 15% off all bulk items (except water and coffee), deep discounts on Owner favorites during October 12–18, plus a fun gift card giveaway!
No Owner celebration would be complete without cake. Join us for cake, served by the Board of Directors and me, at each store on Saturday, October 17 (Willy East), and Sunday, October 18 (Willy West and North), beginning at 12:00pm until it’s gone.
Fair Trade Month
Equal Exchange—celebrating 40 years of cooperation!
The Co-op began working with Equal Exchange in the early 1990s, when they started offering fairly traded specialty coffee. Since then, we’ve seen their product line grow, and their support for family farmers and cooperatives has gotten even stronger. As they introduced new products, we added them to our shelves. Today, Equal Exchange offers not only organic coffee, but also organic chocolate, cocoa, teas, nuts, oils, dried fruits, avocados, and bananas!
We’d like to wish our friends and colleagues at Equal Exchange a happy anniversary! You can read more about the impact Equal Exchange has had on farmers in a farmer interview featured in this issue of the Reader.
Keep an eye out for Equal Exchange organic avocados on sale this month.
Why is Fair Trade so important?
Fair Trade aims to fix inequities in the global supply chain. It puts more money in the hands of small farmers and producer cooperatives and gives them decision-making power over intermediaries or big corporations. When you pick Fair Trade vendors like Equal Exchange, you help make the food system better for everyone.
2026 Annual Board Elections
This month, we’re holding our Annual Board elections. Eight Owners are running for four open seats. Three seats are three-year terms, and one is a one-year term.
You’ll find ballot information in this issue of the Reader. If we have your current email address, we’ll also email you election details. You can vote in-store, online through the email link, by phone, or by mail. Please submit electronic ballots by 11:59pm on Monday, October 19, 2026.
We’ll announce the election results at the Special Owner meeting on Tuesday, October 22. The last chance to submit paper ballots is at 6:00pm, and we’ll share the results at 6:30pm. After the meeting, you can find updates on the Co-op’s website or in the November Reader.
Please note these important dates:
The Annual Meeting will be held online on October 6, starting at 6:00pm. Register at willystreet.coop/annual-meeting.
Board elections will take place from October 1 to October 21.
The Special Ownership Meeting (to announce the Board election results) will be held online on October 22, starting at 6:30pm.
Cheers,
Anya
